Method and device for replenishing ink in an ink dispenser of a business machine



METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REPLENISHING INK I DISPENSER OF A BUSINESS MACHINESheet N l N m 2 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REPLENISHING INK IN AN I Feb. 18,1969 o. sTRoTl-IMANN l 3N,427,969

DISPENSER OF A BUSINESS MACHINE Filed March 3, 1965 Sheet 2 of 4 N k Aw. j dlllffl f;

Feb. 18, 1969 o. sTRoTl-IMANN 3N,;l27,969

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REPLENISHING INK IN AN I DISPENSER OF A BUSINESSMACHINE Filed March 3, 1965 Sheet 3 of 4 Feb. 18, 1969 o. sTRo'rHMANN3,427,969

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REPLENISHING INK IN AN INK ESS :MACHINE SheetDISPENSER OF A BUSIN Filed March 5, 1965 United States Patent O A 45,408U.S. Cl. 101-367 4 Claims Int. Cl. B41f 31/22 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSUREMethod of supplying ink to a printing mechanism of a business machineincludes placing a mechanically destructible and tightly sealedcontainer filled with ink into the interior space of a hollow dispenserformed as an inking roller, closing the dispenser, destroying thecontainer from outside the dispenser to release the ink into theinterior space for dispensation, inserting the dispenser and containeras a unit into the business machine in proximity to the printingmechanism thereof for inking the latter, and replacing the dispenser andcontainer unit, when depleted of ink, with a similar unit filled withink. The inking device produced by the method includes a hollow inkingroller having a peripheral absorptive covering and openings throughwhich the interior communicates with the cover, a sealed container ofmechanically destructible material filled with ink, the container beinginserted in the hollow space of the roller when in operative condition,the roller having means for enclosing the container in the hollow space,and exteriorly actuable means for mechanically destroying the containerin the hollow space to releasethe ink therefrom into the hollow space.

My invention relates to a method and device for replenishing the ink inink dispensers for writing or printing business machines.

The ink dispensers used in cash registers, accounting machines and otherbusiness machines, usually in the form of inking rollers for dispensingcoloring matter of black, red or other color, must be relled from timeto time with the particular ink in accordance with the ink consumption.In the known devices, such replenishment is effected with the aid of anink container in the form of a collapsible tube whose neck is stuck orscrewed into an inlet opening of the dispensing device whereafter thetube is compressed and thereby discharged, thus forcing the ink from thetube into the hollow space of the dispenser. This filling method has thedisadvantage that soiling of the adjacent machine parts and of the handsis virtually inevitable. In practice, therefore, the refilling of ink isoften effected not by the owner or user of the business machine butrather by the personnel of the manufacturer` or servicing company. Thisalso results in practice tofrequent occurrence of an illegible orunclean impression because the operator of the machine, as a rule, mustcontinue using the machine with a depleted ink dispenser until themachine is again serviced.

The ,filling of the dispenser with coloring ink further requires arelatively long time, particularly with multicolor dispensers, so thatthe replenishing operation, in many cases, is unable to be performedduring office hours; for example in the case of cash registers,refilling cannot be effected while customers are being serviced.Stopping the -machine because of a depleted ink dispenser is usuallyunsuitable for economic reasons.

It is accordingly an object of my invention t0 avoid these shortcomingsand to provide a method and means 3,427,969 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 formore rapidly replenishing the ink in the dispenser of a business machinein a greatly simplified and more expeditious manner.

With this and other objects in view I provide a method according to theinvention, whereby the ink, which can be liquid coloring matter ofblack, red or any other color, is poured into a readily destructible andcompletely tight, scalable container, outside of the ink dispenser. Thecompletely closed ink container is inserted into a hollow space of theink dispenser on the business machine. After closing this hollow space,the container in the interior of the dispenser is destroyed by actionfrom the outside, so that the ink running out of the destroyed containerthen passes by suction or capillary action through conventional openingsfrom the hollow space of the ink dispenser into the ink-retentivesurface layer or jacket of the dispenser.

According to another feature of the invention, the ink dispenser forreceiving the readily destructible ink container comprises a portion ofelastic material which can be deformed by external application ofpressure or impact with the result that the ink container in theinterior space of the dispenser is sufficiently damaged to release theink. The elasticity of the dispenser is such that after destruction ofthe inner ink container the dispenser springs back to its originalshape. The dispenser is provided with an absorptive surface member whichcommunicates by means of openings, channels, wicks or the like, with theinterior hollow space for conveying the ink to the outside.

The invention will Ibe further described with reference to embodimentsof ink dispensers according to the invention illustrated by way ofexample on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through an ink dispenser.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through a dispenser for two differentinking colors.

FIG. 3 shows in longitudinal section an ink dispenser composed of anon-deformable roller with an impact-pin mount for destroying theinterior ink container.

FIG. 4 is a lateral elevation of a printing and inking mechanism for acash register or accounting machine equipped with an ink dispenser suchas is shown in FIG. 1, for example; and

FIG. 5 is a partly sectional plan view of the printing and dispensingmechanism according to FIG. 4, equipped with a dispenser as shown inFIG. l.

Referring now to the drawings, the coloring matter, for example blackprinting ink such as is ordinarily used for business machines, is filledin an ampule-shaped glass container 1 whose inlet nipple 1a isthereafter fused off (FIGS. l, 3) although it may also be air-tightlyclosed by means of a stopper. The sealed ampule 1 is placed into thehollow space 2 of the ink dispenser. After inserting the ampule, thehollow space 2 is tightly closed. When the roller-shaped, cylindricalbody 3 (FIG. l) of the ink dispenser consists of synthetic plastic, theclosing is effected by welding a closure 4 to the body 3 or by placing aselfsealing cap upon the open end of the tubular structure. In thiscondition the dispenser 3 is shipped to the customer for use in thebusiness machine. When the ink dispenser 3 is to be inserted into theprinting or inking mechanism of a business machine, pressure or impactis applied to the external jacket 5 of the dispenser 3, thus smashingthe glass ampule in the interior. The printing ink then runs into thehollow space 2 of the dispenser. Thereafter the dispenser 3 isimmediately inserted into the printing or inking mechanism of thebusiness machine before the ink penetrates from the hollow space 2 tothe surface 5a of the dispenser. Any soiling of machine parts or handsis thus prevented.

The tubular body 3 of the ink dispenser shown in FIG. 1 consists ofelastic material. The tubular body or inking roller 3 is covered with anabsorptive layer 5 consisting, for example, of absorptive paper, felt,woven fabric or the like. The absorptive material 5 communicates throughopenings 6 in the inking roller 3 with the hollow space 2 therein. Toprovide uniform impregnation of the covering 5 with ink, ring-shaped orhelical channels 7 extend from the openings 6 over the outer peripheralsurface of the roller 3. To make certain that the ink will only issueslowly from the surface 5a of the covering 5, the covering is preferablyformed of several layers superimposed upon each other. Asaforementioned, the roller body 3 is closed at one end at which itcarries a stub shaft 8. The opposite, open end of the roller body 3 iscapped by a stopper 4 which is sealed by welding or cementing thereof tothe roller 3. Near the stopper side of the roller 3, a peripheralshoulder 9 is formed on the roller 3. A cylindrical surface portion 10adjacent the shoulder 9 forms a bearing surface to be journalled in theprinting or inking mechanism. Thus the bearing surface 10 and the shaft8 jointly determine the rotary axis of the inking roller 3.

As mentioned hereinabove, before the ink dispenser is inserted into theprinting or inking mechanism of a business machine, pressure or impactis applied to the covering 5 of the roller 3 in order to destroy theinternal container 1. The ink then flowing freely into the hollow space2 is thus slowly distributed through the openings 6 and the channels 7into the absorptive covering 5. The irnpregnation of the covering 5 andparticularly the moistening of the surface 5a proceeds so slowly that asuiciently long time is available for inserting the inking roller intothe mechanism before any ink can penetrate to the outside and can effectsoiling of machine parts or of the hands.

The ink dispenser shown in FIG. 2 is equipped with two ink containers 1and 1'. The container 1 corresponds to the container described withreference to FIG. 1. The container 1 also consists of a thin-walledcylindrical glass container which, however, is closed and sealed bymeans of a stopper plate la.

The ink containers 1, 1 are inserted into separate hollow spaces 2 and 2of the inking roller 3. The absorptive coloring of the roller iscomposed of two portions 5 and 5 which are separated from each other bya labyrinth seal 11 to prevent inks of different colors from owingtogether. The remaining structural features identified by the referencenumerals 3 to 10 correspond to the similarly designated featuresrespectively of the inking roller shown in FIG. l.

The inking roller embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from those of FIGS.1 and 2 in that the roller 3 consists of non-elastic material such asrigid synthetic plastic or metal. The distruction of the ink container 1in the interior space 2 of the roller is effected by means of an irnpactpin 12 fastened to a sealing diaphragm 13 between the body of the roller3 and its closure 4 which is here shown as a screw cap. The diaphragm 13forms a seal which, after destruction of the container 1, retains theink within the hollow space 2. The ink container 1 is destroyed eitherby subjecting the inking roller at the pin 12 to upsetting pressureprior to inserting the roller into the inking and dispensing mechanismof the business machine, or by first inserting the inking roller intothe mechanism and then striking the pin 12. The resilient mounting ofthe pin 12 in the diaphragm 13 reliably provides for a tight sealing ofthe hollow space 2 while also providing for a sufliciently large andelastic stroke of the impact pin 12.

The embodiment of a complete inking mechanism shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 isessentially in accordance with a known printing and inking mechanism foran accounting machine of the cash-register type, except that it isequipped with an inking roller according to the present invention asshown in FIG. 1.

The illustrated printing mechanism 21 constitutes an independentsub-assembly of a business machine. The

mechanism comprises printing type wheels 22 to 24 which are positionallycontrolled by data setting -members 25 to 27 through a system oftelescopic tubes 30 journalled in the side wall plates 28 and 29 andcarrying respective spur gears 31 meshing with the type wheels. Thetelescopic tubes are rotated corresponding angular amounts under controlof the keyboard of the machine or the computing mechanisms of themachine, as is well known in the art and not illustrated or furtherdescribed herein because it is irrelevant to the present invention. Themechanism further comprises a type plate carrier 32 for producing agiven, invariable imprint, and an inking-tape feed roller 33 as well asa displaceably mounted tensioning roller 34, and an inking roller 3. Theside plates 2S and 29 of the printing mechanism are secured to eachother by means of spacer sleeves 37 seated on connecting bolts. Theinking roller 3 is journalled in the side plates 28 and 29 andcorresponds to the roller illustrated in FIG. l.

The journal pin 8 on the bottom side of the inking roller 3 isjournalled in a bore 35 (FIG. 5) of side plate 29. A holder 43 (FIG. 4),fastened by a screw 44 to the other side plate 28, rests against theperipheral shoulder 9 of the roller 3 and thus prevents the roller fromshifting in the axial direction. After loosening the holder 43, theinking roller 3 can be pulled to the left hand side as shown in FIG. 5out of its seat and can be exchanged for a new roller. The amount oftime required for such exchange is considerably smaller than heretoforerequired for replenishing the inking rollers on business machines.

After insertion of a new inking roller, the pin 12 (FIG. 5) is struckwith any suitable hard object, thus destroying the ampule whosefragments 1b remain in the interior of the roller.

The ink issuing from the openings 6 is uniformly distributed through thegrooves 7 over the periphery of the roller and thus soaks the absorbentcovering 5. By virtue of the distributing grooves, only few openings 6are required and these may be given a relatively large size so that theycannot become clogged even when the ink has thickened. The channels oropenings 6 are continuously rinsed by the inking liquid issuing from thehollow space 2 to the grooves 7, without dispensing more liquid than isrequired by the absorptive effect of the covering 5.

A short tube 38 (FIG. 5) is fastened to the side plate 29 in coaxialrelation to the bore 35, and serves for guiding a helical pressurespring 39 having one end resting against the side plate 29 and the otheragainst the bottom 40 of an axially displaceable and rotatable diaphragm41 which separates the inking roller 3 from the inking ribbon 42 inknown manner when the inking ribbon 42 is saturated.

It will be understood from the foregoing that an inking rolleraccordingto the invention can readily be inserted without soiling anything and amuch shorter time than heretofore needed for replenishment, and alsowithout requiring any particular skill. This is not only due to thestructural features described in the foregoing but also to the fact thatsome time will elapse until the ink issuing from the hollow space 2lwill emerge at the surface 5a of the covering. Furthermore, when usingan inking roller according to FIG. 3 with an impact pin 12, the internalink container 1 may be destroyed at any desired time after inserting theinking roller into the printing and dispensing mechanism. This has theadvantage that no drying of the ink can occur during shipping andstoring of the business machine or of the inking rollers.

To those skilled in the art, it will be obvious upon a study of thisdisclosure that my invention permits of various modifications and may begiven embodiments other than Iparticularly illustrated and describedherein, without departing from the essential features of my inventionand within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

I claim:

1. An inking device for business machines, comprising a hollow inkingroller formed at least partly of elastically deformable material, saidroller having a peripheral ab sorptive covering and having openingsthrough which the interior communicates with said covering, a sealedcontainer of mechanically destructible material lled with ink, saidcontainer being a lunit separate from said roller and being inserted inthe hollow space of said roller when in operative condition, said rollerhaving means for enclosing said container in said hollow space, and saidroller being elastically deformable for thereby destroying saidcontainer in said hollow space to release the ink therefrom.

2. An inking device for business machines, comprising a hollow inkingroller having a peripheral absorptive covering and opening through whichthe interior communicates with said covering, a sealed container ofmechanically destructible material lled with ink, said container beinginserted in the hollow space of said roller when in operating condition,said roller having means for enclosing said container in said hollowspace, and exteriorly actuable means for mechanically `destroying saidcontainer in said hollow space to release the ink therefrom into saidhollow space, said inking roller being interchangeably insertable in abusiness machine in place of another of said inking rollers containing adiferent colored ink and in place of another of said inking rollershaving a depleted ink supply therein, said inking roller having atubular Ibody of rigid material, and said means for destroying saidcontainer comprising impact member displacea'bly mounted on said rollerbody and expending to the outside thereof.

3. An inking device for ybusiness machines, comprising an inking rollerhaving a tubular, cylindrical body closed at one end and open at theother end for insertion of a destructible ink container, a cover memberon said open end for enclosing said container in said body, as elasticsealing diaphragm between said cover member and said container, anddestroying means for destroying said ink container comprising an impactpin mounted on said diaphragm and extending through said cover member tothe outside of said roller.

4. Method of supplying ink to a printing mechanism of a -businessmachine which comprises placing a mechanically destructible and tightlysealed container iilled with ink into the interior space of a hollowdispenser at least partly of elastic material formed as an inkingroller, closing the dispenser deforming the elastic material of thedispenser so as to destroy the container from outside the dispenser torelease the ink into the interior space for dispensation, inserting thedispenser and container as a `unit into the business machine inproximity to the printing mechanism thereof for inking the latter, andselectively replacing the dispenser and container unit with a similarunit containing ink of -a different color and, when depleted of ink,with a similar unit lled `with ink of the same color.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,516,454 11/1924 Norton 12S-2692,918,514 12/1959 Everett 136-90 3,326,180 6/ 1967 Lofgren 118-264916,357 3/1909 McCarty 10k-367 2,726,638 12/ 1955 Huckmyer 12W-45.42,919,677 1/1960 Mansheim 120-45.4 2,970,538 2/1961 Heil 101-3673,072,053 1/1963 Becker et al lOl-367 X WILLIAM B. PENN, PrimaryExaminer. FRED A. WINANS, Assistant Examiner.

